Results & measures · Presidential elections
Vote share
A party's percentage of all votes cast, including third-party and write-in votes.
Vote share is a party's votes divided by every vote counted in that geography — Democratic, Republican, and all others. The Democratic, Republican, and 'other' shares sum to 100%.
Because the denominator includes minor-party and write-in votes, a candidate can carry a place with less than 50% of the vote (a plurality) — Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidency with 43% of the national vote. This is also why pumsdata's signed margin is computed over all votes rather than just the two major parties.
Also known as: percent of the vote, share of the vote.
See vote share in the data
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Vote share — FAQ
What is vote share in election results data?+
A party's percentage of all votes cast, including third-party and write-in votes. Vote share is a party's votes divided by every vote counted in that geography — Democratic, Republican, and all others. The Democratic, Republican, and 'other' shares sum to 100%.
Why does vote share matter?+
Because the denominator includes minor-party and write-in votes, a candidate can carry a place with less than 50% of the vote (a plurality) — Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidency with 43% of the national vote. This is also why pumsdata's signed margin is computed over all votes rather than just the two major parties.
Where does this election results data come from?+
County-level presidential returns come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with MEDSL or with any campaign, party or election authority.